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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27017680">A Summer Well Spent</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcHeavyGunner/pseuds/ArcHeavyGunner'>ArcHeavyGunner</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Highschool AU, I have no idea where this is going but I'm gonna write it anyway, Multi, This is a brain worm I have to get out, Uchiha Fugaku - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:48:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27017680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcHeavyGunner/pseuds/ArcHeavyGunner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Uchiha Bait &amp; Tackle has been in the family for generations. Madara started it, and since then it has been a tradition for the Uchiha kids to help run the shop over the summer. Sasuke, having turned 16 during the school year, would much rather be on the beach with his friends and that irritatingly cute boy Naruto, instead of working in a dusty building on the beach.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hoshigaki Kisame/Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Summer Well Spent</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was inspired by a shirt I bought my wife on redbubble. (Beta'd by said wonderful wife)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>The sun had barely crested over the horizon, yet despite that, Sasuke had already been forced into helping his father and brother open up the family shop. </span><span>He</span><span> was in the back, rummaging through cardboard boxes and trying to take inventory of what they had. While Uchiha Bait &amp; Tackle </span><span>was</span><span> open all year, hold winter, the shop really </span><span>didn’t</span><span> see any business until the school year </span><span>ended</span><span> and the summer </span><span>began</span><span> in earnest. In the summer's past, none of this had ever applied to Sasuke, nor had he shown any real interest in it. That would’ve continued to be the case this summer, however, Sasuke had turned 16 during the school year. For the first time in his life, instead of getting to enjoy his summer break with his friends, Sasuke Uchiha now </span><span>had</span><span> to work </span><span>there</span> <em><span>all summer long</span></em><span>. A fate worse than death, he </span><span>thought</span><span>.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The back room was surprisingly large despite the small appearance of the building, and Sasuke’s father had ordered him to pull out </span>
  <span>and start stocking</span>
  <span> the boogie boards and inflatable toys</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Sasuke, however, was struggling to find anything in </span>
  <span>the</span>
  <span> overpacked, poorly lit, stuffy excuse for a store room. Sasuke felt like his search lasted for over an hour, though how much of that could be chalked up to how tired he was</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> he didn’t know. Sasuke was still in shock that there were people who willingly woke up at 5:30 in the morning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally, he saw the large, slightly mothholed cardboard box that had “Boards&amp;Tubes” written on it in permanent marker. Not bothering to find a stepladder </span>
  <span>–</span>
  <span> the box was only a few feet up after all </span>
  <span>–</span>
  <span> Sasuke climbed onto the first level of packed shelving. There wasn’t really a lot of room for his feet, but Sasuke was able to find a spot between two boxes and his sandal found purchase. The box was now mostly within his reach, so Sasuke started to pull </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> out. </span>
  <span>However, it</span>
  <span> wasn’t moving, and after a minute or two of trying to get the damn box off of the highest shelf, it started to give. Knowing he was close </span>
  <span>to getting it free</span>
  <span>, Sasuke tried pulling the box harder, all the while not noticing his own predicament. Finally, with a triumphant yank, </span>
  <span>Sasuke ripped off the front of the box, sending its contents flying everywhere</span>
  <span>. To make matters worse, Sasuke realized that his footing was less secure than he had once thought. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>–</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Within a moment, Sasuke started to fall towards the ground. His hands flailed, trying to find something to keep him vertical, and they did! ...For a moment, anyway, before the box labeled “Rubber Bait” pulled away from the wall and his fate was sealed. With a loud crash, and a long string of expletives, Sasuke </span>
  <span>fell flat on</span>
  <span> his ass as hundreds of small rubber worms danced through the morning sun before landing on Sasuke.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sasuke? Are you okay?” A voice called. </span>
  <span>The person who’d spoken opened the door and saw</span>
  <span> Sasuke’s hubris. Itachi chuckled, quietly, before putting down his clipboard and coming over to Sasuke. He noticed that Itachi had his hair up in a ponytail, which while it was maybe the least important detail about Sasuke’s situation, he couldn’t help but notice. Itachi only really did that when he didn’t get a lot of sleep.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Didn’t want to bother with the stepladder?” Itachi asked warmly as he crouched down next to his brother. He reached </span>
  <span>out</span>
  <span> and pulled a small rubber worm from his little brother’s hair, and tried to suppress a laugh. “I think this is a good look for you, Sasuke. Maybe that crush of yours can clean these out of your hair? I hear that’s how monkeys bond with partners.” </span>
  <span>He tapped</span>
  <span> his brother on the forehead with two fingers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If that stupid box hadn’t been stuck I’d be fine!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you mean the box that Father ties to the wall? The same box he told you he tied to the wall to keep the shelving from falling down?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How the hell was I supposed to untie it!? I could barely reach it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“With the stepladder.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just fuckin’ help me up already!” Sasuke barked, before taking the hand that his older brother reached out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Back on his feet, Sasuke surveyed the disaster he had created in less than </span>
  <span>two</span>
  <span> minutes. Those tiny rubber worms were </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and the box holding the boogie boards and inflatables was still firmly attached to the wall. Its contents, however, were spilled all over the floor. Groaning, Sasuke sat down on the floor and started to pick apart some of the worms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Itachi looked concerned at his brother, and decided to join him down on the floor. His joints protested, but Itachi did his best to not let any old man noises escape. Putting a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, he asked “Sasuke, tell me what’s wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what’s wrong!” Sasuke replied, biting his tongue after realizing he had yelled at his brother. “I don’t wanna work at this fuckin’ stupid shop. I wanna be out on the beach with my friends! I wanna walk around town and go to parties and just have my summer </span>
  <em>
    <span>off</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sasuke, I don’t think any of your friends are the partying type.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>‘That’s not the point! I don’t get why I have to work at this dumb shop every morning for a whole summer! It’s not like we need the money.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Itachi sighed, watching as his brother continued to mutilate faux-worms. He used to feel the way Sasuke felt, once. Now, he looked forward to coming home for summer break and working in the shop. If he was being honest with himself, it was barely even work, since he spent most of the time talking to his partner or reading a book. Still, he saw the look of misunderstanding and abandonment on Sasuke’s face, and sighed as he put an arm around his brother.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not about </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sasuke. Father wants us to do this because it’s tradition, and more importantly, because it helped him grow closer to grandpa Madara when he was a kid. I grew closer to dad because I worked here, and while Shisui and Obito are only our cousins, they feel the same way. I think Father is scared of losing you. I know he’s made mistakes-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t make excuses for him, Itachi.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not. He…” Itachi paused, looking for the right words. Saying that their father had been tough on them was an understatement, and while Itachi understood why, he was also happy he had started taking Tai-Chi classes all those years ago. He knew it would never come to that; their Father would never lay a hand on him or Sasuke, but Itachi wanted to be prepared. “He knows he’s made mistakes. I think he wants to use this as an excuse to make up for them. That, and everyone should work retail. It sucks, but it’s the only way to guarantee that you won’t be a jerk to retail workers in the future.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke stayed quiet for a few moments, before sighing and speaking up. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>always</span>
  </em>
  <span> right.” The two brothers stood up, Sasuke first, and then Itachi with assistance. Itachi smiled at his younger brother. Just a few years ago he had been in Sasuke’s shoes, when Sasuke was still in middle school. Now, he was growing up right in front of Itachi’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll clean up here,” Itachi said, “and deal with Father while you run down the street to the fishing supply store. That tackle needed to be replaced anyway. Put it on the shop’s card that Father gave you.” He tapped his brother’s forehead again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke sighed dramatically, and tried to swat away his brother's hand, complaining to itachi that he was “too old for all that lovey-dovey stuff”  as he made his way out of the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And Sasuke?” Itachi called. His brother’s head turned to see him. “I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sasuke rolled his eyes, before turning and saying quietly enough that Itachi could barely hear him,</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, love you too ‘Tachi.”</span>
</p>
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